Kittens being treated at Stewart Street Vets after rescue from bushfire near Hill End

Instead, they beat the odds and are now recovering in the safe hands of the team at Stewart Street Veterinary Hospital.

The three kittens - one male and two female - were found on Thursday by firefighters from the Kelso Fire and Rescue NSW brigade, who had been deployed to the destructive Alpha Road fire.

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In a Facebook post, the brigade said the kittens' mother was killed in the fire, but the kittens were spotted "hiding in a blackened and burnt area of the fire and were scooped up by the crew".

They were later taken to Stewart Street Vets for treatment.

Vet nurse Paige Adams said it was very surprising that the kittens, which are estimated to be about five weeks old, had survived their ordeal.

"It would be so traumatic, and especially if they don't have their mum, so it's pretty amazing they are here and we're able to treat them and give them a second chance," she said.

She said they "presented pretty poorly" upon their arrival at the clinic, with the male kitten in particular suffering burns to his paws.

His fur and whiskers were also singed, meaning he would have come quite close to the flames.

"This little kitten that's got the bandages on is actually flyblown, so it looks like he's been like that for a number of days," Ms Adams said.

"When they first came in, we assessed the wounds, we've removed all of the maggots out of there, and we've redressed the wounds.

"They have been given a full check-over to assess the rest of their health and they've been given antibiotics as well, so if there's any infection starting to occur we can kind of stop it now.

"They've also had some pain relief."

Despite their injuries, the kittens have displayed very good temperaments.

"They've been really placid," Ms Adams said.

"I'm not sure where they originally came from, whether it was around a house or not, but you can tell they've had some sort of exposure to humans because we can handle them.

"They're obviously quite stressed, but there's been no sign of aggression or anything like that."

The kittens will remain at the vet and continue to be monitored.

When they have fully recovered, they will be put up for adoption through the clinic's rehoming program.

"If anyone's interested in adopting them in a couple of weeks, just come and approach us," Ms Adams said.

The rescue of the kittens is one of the nicer stories to come out of the terrible bushfires at Tambaroora, north of Hill End.

The blaze has burnt through more than 18,000 hectares but it is reaching 70 per cent containment.

Approximately 200 volunteers were on the ground on Tuesday, March 14, ) in an to attempt to raise containment levels as all eyes lay on Thursday.

"Thursday we're likely to see extreme fire conditions right across the Central Ranges so that will put a significant amount of pressure on any hotspots that are still on the fireground on top of any potential new ignitions," Mr Morris said.

"We're always striving to get 100 per cent containment however the crews have worked tirelessly.

"It's been quite challenging for over a week now ... but it's the work crews are doing now that is vital in keeping that containment ahead of those conditions."

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